Written by Michael Peters Kyriacou, President, Cyprus Community of NSW
It’s a moment that no person can escape, a moment no sibling can ignore, and no community can amiss, the passing of a community pioneer, a member of a generation that delivered a legacy few today can match.
Every community has pioneers, the people who came to Australia with next to nothing to build more than a home and a family, but then quietly went on to sacrifice their efforts, time and limited resources to selflessly build a Community.
Savvas Bieri was just that pioneer.
Savvas was the father of the current Cyprus Community of NSW Treasurer Terri Bieri.
Savva’s dedication and quiet devotion to family, his people and Community is typical of the generation who nurtured our Community for over half a century without fanfare, noise, demands and for no other reason than the love of family Community and ethnos.
Savva served as a director of the Cyprus Community of NSW for many years, he was instrumental to raise the funds to purchase the first real estate in Surry Hills near central station, his dedication to the Community is legendary.
Typical of his generation, he was not so concerned with talk, debates or opinions, his generation was concerned with hard work, organising and delivering functions, events and get togethers, keeping our culture, our identity, our language and the cause of Cyprus alive.
Like others of his generation he was quiet, a no-nonsense diligent worker for his Community expecting no glory and nothing in return.
His generation believed in the idea of “rights” “entitlements” must be earned through hard work and dedication perhaps foreign to our contemporary world.
Savvas came from the village of Akaki, Cyprus. He landed on the shores of Australia seeking a better life from a homeland occupied by foreign troops and historically the pawn of great powers.
Savvas’ story is truly the great Australian anthology, it is how the nation was built and what it is today. It is also how a Community was founded, a legacy handed to us from the sweat of that generation.
It is the classic story of a young man seeking opportunity, with cultural baggage that was to drive his character and love of family, Cyprus and Community.
Today, the Community has valuable “rezoned” real estate in Stanmore inner west Sydney with a Club house, offers a range of services and activities from the second largest soccer team in the Inner West of Sydney to Dancing and Greek Schools, Veteran Anzac Committee, Heritage Committee, Justice for Cyprus and young professionals, amongst many other activities.
It is the character of Savva’s generation that serves as an example to all, to contribute in a meaningful manner with civility and dedication to family, Community, Australia and the cause of Cyprus.
Savvas’ generation was not so concerned or blinded by wealth and personalities; they were too “new Australians,” too busy with a mission to succeed to take care of their family and build a Community.
Savvas’ generation was focused on preserving our identity. Whatever we have today is because of that generation.
As that generation passes, their legacy calls us to respect the endeavours of the pioneers, not damage the good name and reputation earned by the deeds of that generation. We must all be motivated to step up and be worthy of this inheritance.
Today, the Cyprus Community is at the table of many policy forums, both government and non-government and continues to preserve the ancient identity and culture of the land of Aphrodite, the place where the Greek alphabet was born, where many sacrificed their life to retain the identity of the ethnos through the ages.
On February 26, 2025, we paid homage to Savvas and his generation. Without their legacy, the Community would be poorer, our identity in peril and Australia a lesser place.
As this generation of pioneers leave us, we must not let down our pioneers, our ancestors. We must never abandon the sacred mission they gave the world. We must not be distracted from the quiet selfless vision of that generation that gave us a legacy to cherish. After all, the passing of this generation reminds us that we are all merely passing by, obliged to respect our pioneers and nurture the legacy and show we are worthy inheritors.
To Savvas’ children Anna, Terri, Peter and Diane, to his grandchildren Dimitri, Samantha, Miriam, Patricia, Nicholas, Savvas, Christian, Elizabeth, Christof, Iren and Savia, to the great grandchildren Nicholas, Stephanie, Joseph, Nicholas, Jacob, Talia, Dante, Andreas and Niko , you have big shoes to fill to continue the tradition of your great ancestor, be worthy trustees of the deeds of our pioneers like Savvas.
